Calling all home DIYers! We've put the top brand paint strippers through their paces, so you can buy in confidence. From their efficiency and affordability to their safety considerations, we'll guide you through the pros and cons, helping you find the perfect paint stripper for your next home improvement project.
For more information, please visit our website.
When it comes to choosing the best paint stripper for wood, there are two main options available – solvents and heat guns.
We put three heat guns and two solvent strippers to the test by removing six layers of oil-based paint from a wooden surface.
Score 9/10
Pros
Cons
At a glance: Vertical resting base for cooling | automatic shut off function | glass protection nozzle | air spreader nozzle | concentrator nozzle | reflector nozzle |hanging hook | 2 heat settings | voltage: 220 – 240V | power: W | weight: 0.75kg | cable Length: 1.8m
At just £21.99 with a two-year warranty and four handy attachments, it’s a must-have for your tool kit.
This heat gun was light and comfy to use with an ergonomically designed double grip handle.
As well as stripping paint and varnish it can be used for thawing frozen pipes, loosening rusted steel and adhesive, bending plastics, heat-shrinking and removing stuck-down vinyl flooring. It features two operating temperatures – 350°C and 550°C for targeted heat application, which you can adjust using the switch on the handle.
This gun comes with four nozzles for targeted application:
This gun gave really fast, and very satisfying, results. The surface of the paint bubbled up really quickly and was very easy to remove with a scraper tool to reveal a paint-free surface underneath.
This gun offers incredible value for money. At just £21.99 with a two-year warranty and four handy attachments, it’s a must-have for your tool kit.
Score 7/10
Pros
Cons
At a glance: Built-in stand for hands-free applications and cooling | 2 heat and airflow settings | voltage: 230V | power W | weight: 0.62kg | cable length: 2m
...this is great value for money and ideal for DIYers on a budget.
This heat gun was light and comfortable to use for long periods of time and is suitable for stripping paint, varnish and adhesive. It can also be used for other jobs, such as thawing frozen pipes or loosening rusted nuts.
It has two heat and airflow settings for more control in different applications which can be adjusted at the flick of a switch on the handle.
We particularly liked the built-in stand, which allows you stand the gun up to cool off when you’ve finished using it.
Even though the paint didn’t bubble up when the heat gun was applied, it softened the paint very well, allowing us to scrape the paint away easily with a scraper tool. It took a little while for the paint to soften, rather than giving instant results, but overall, we felt it did a good job.
At just £19.98 with a one year warranty, this is great value for money and ideal for DIYers on a budget.
Score 5/10
Pros
Cons
At a glance: Cordless | built-in LED light | concentration nozzle | reflector nozzle | voltage: 18V | weight: 0.6kg without battery, 1kg with battery
...although it comes with a two-year warranty, we felt it was quite expensive for the results it gave.
This cordless battery-powered heat gun can also tackle tasks including car window tinting, heat shrink tubing and soldering copper pipes. Because it’s cordless, it means you can use this heat gun outside without the need to be tethered by a power cord, which is handy if you’re working in the garden.
It’s compact size makes it ideal for working in tight spaces, but we felt it was quite heavy to use once the battery pack was attached, making our arms ache with prolonged use.
In order to get this gun to work you need to press the unlock button before squeezing the trigger, but we found this was a bit fiddly and awkward to do, especially if you have small hands.
This gun takes 60 seconds to heat up to 470 ⁰C, which was slower to get to temperature than other models we tested.
The gun has a built-in LED work light, but we felt it was a little low down to illuminate the area we were working on.
The gun comes with a concentrator nozzle for removing paint from fiddly areas, such as mouldings or architraves, and a reflector nozzle for jobs like thawing frozen pipes, bending plastics or heat shrinking electrical insulating tubing etc.
It took a while for the paint to soften up when the heat gun was applied, but it did eventually soften enough to allow us to scrape the paint away with a scraper tool.
If you don’t already own a Ryobi battery (and charger), you need to spend quite a lot of money to get up and running with this heat gun. The bare gun costs £95.99, while the battery and charger kit costs £91.99. So, although it comes with a two-year warranty, we felt it was quite expensive for the results it gave.
Score 9/10
Pros
Cons
At a glance: Suitable for use on concrete, metal, stone and wood, suitable for carvings, furniture, veneers & mouldings, interior and exterior use, trade strength formula, thick gel clings to vertical surfaces and strips most types of household paints including hammer finishes
BGP Product Page
We felt it gave fantastic value for money as it was really quick and easy to use and gave brilliant results.
This methylene chloride-free paint remover had a thick gel-like consistency, which makes it ideal for using on vertical surfaces, such as doors and window frames.
However, it has a high VOC level and had a strong chemical smell, so you need to make sure the room you are working in is well ventilated. You need to work on an area of less than 0.5m2 at a time to prevent the product from drying out before you have time to remove it.
Although we struggled to remove the inner cap, meaning we had to pierce it in the end to access the product, this paint stripper gave really excellent results.
Once applied with a brush, we left the product on the painted surface for 15 minutes, but it started working almost immediately, with the paint blistering before our eyes.
The paint was really easy to lift away with a scraper tool, and once all the paint was removed, we just needed to wipe the surface down with water.
A 1-litre can will treat approximately 3m2, so you could strip two sides of a standard door, depending on the amount of paint layers it had.
This product costs £19 for a 1-litre can and comes with a one-year warranty. We felt it gave fantastic value for money as it was really quick and easy to use and gave brilliant results.
Score 8/10
Buy from Screwfix (£8.99 for 500ml)
Pros
Cons
At a glance: Suitable for most surfaces, except vinyl and textiles | interior and exterior use | clings to vertical surfaces | biodegradable
...we felt this paint remover offered great value for money, making it ideal for DIYers on a budget.
This non-methylene chloride stripper has a non-caustic formulation and didn’t have an overpowering chemical smell.
It can be used to remove paint and varnish from most surfaces and is suitable for use both indoors and outside, so ideal if you want to strip paint from your shed, garden furniture or window frames.
Its thick consistency helps it cling to vertical surfaces, such as window frames and doors.
After applying a generous coat of the product to the painted surface we left it to work for an hour. The manufacturer recommends applying a second coat after an hour, but we found we didn’t need to.
Although the paint hadn’t visibly blistered, it came away really easily when we used a scraper, leaving no fiddly bits behind.
Once all the paint was removed, we wiped the surface down with water to finish. One litre of this stripper can cover one square metre of surface.
At just £8.99 with a one-year guarantee we felt this paint remover offered great value for money, making it ideal for DIYers on a budget.
There are four different types of paint and varnish strippers. Solvent strippers contain toxic chemicals, caustic strippers are lye-based, biochemical removers contain non-toxic plant-based chemicals, and non-toxic strippers are often water- or alcohol-based.
Some paint strippers are toxic to humans, animals, and the environment, and others have low or no volatile organic compounds (VOC). VOCs can cause everything from eye, nose, and throat irritation to liver, kidney, and nervous system damage and, in some cases, cancer in humans.
Max Strip's main ingredient is triethyl phosphate and is classified as non-toxic with very low VOCs. Smart Strip is a low-VOC stripper that is water-based and includes benzyl alcohol. Citistrip is alcohol-based (benzyl alcohol) and contains VOCs; it can cause burns if it makes contact with the skin. Minwax is a toxic solvent-based stripper that is also flammable.
We recommend working in a well-ventilated area while using any paint stripper and wearing protective gloves and goggles. If ventilation is inadequate, a respirator will provide additional protection.
I used a small paintbrush to apply a thick layer of Max Strip to half of a painted drawer front. Because it's a no-drip gel-based product, it wasn't messy and stayed right where I wanted it to.
I used plastic wrap to cover the product during the recommended 30-minute soak time. This prevents the gel from drying out. I was pleasantly surprised to encounter no harsh odors while using the product; in fact, it almost had a "clean" smell to it.
Citristrip is a stripping gel that really does smell like oranges, which was delightful during application. The instructions recommend leaving it to soak in for at least 30 minutes. I applied the gel with a paintbrush, then let it soak in for 30 minutes.
Citrstrip came off in nice thick pieces. It contains natural wood oils that condition the wood as the finish is being taken off, making it great for antique wood furniture that has dried out over time.
I'm all about efficiency when it comes to flipping furniture and Smart Strip paled in comparison to the other strippers. It was very thick and goopy, which made the application messy. While it doesn't plastic wrap isn't needed for the soak time, it requires a minimum of three hours to penetrate the paint. I had to work much harder when removing Smart Strip with a scraper and ultimately did not see even results.
While Minwax is considered a "gentle product" for wood, it contains toxic solvents and is flammable, so I was extremely careful while using this product. I worked with it outdoors and wore thick rubber gloves and protective eyewear. Minwax had a harsh odor, but I didn't find it to be irritating.
I dipped the steel wool into a metal jar filled with Minwax and rubbed it in circles onto the top of the side table. Using moderate pressure, I saw the original finish begin to come off immediately. It was easy to get into all the corners and detailed areas and only took about 15 minutes to complete the top section. Per the product recommendation, I washed everything off with water to neutralize it after I was done. I was able to immediately move on to sanding to finish the piece.
You'll need to dispose of Minwax safely. There are toxic waste disposal sites in most cities, and I recommend utilizing one as soon as the project is completed.
Aside from Minwax, Citristrip was the best for removing finish. While the manufacturer recommends leaving it to soak in for at least 30 minutes, I noticed the finish bubbling up after only about 12 minutes. Plastic wrap isn't required for a shorter soak time, but the stripper can be left on overnight for tough surfaces. In that case, they do recommend covering it with plastic wrap to avoid drying it out.
Overall, it took about 5 minutes for application, 30 minutes of soak time, and 15 minutes for removal. It was extremely satisfying to use the plaster scraper to remove the Citristrip in thick gobs. I did notice I had to work harder to remove everything, using more elbow grease than with Minwax or Max Strip. I then neutralized the wood surface with water before moving on to sanding.
Like with Minwax, you'll need to follow directions for the safe disposal of both Citristrip. There are toxic waste disposal sites in most cities and I recommend utilizing them as soon as the project is completed.
Max Strip is an excellent paint stripper, and we recommend it for DIY furniture projects. It's non-toxic, evenly removes paint, and makes quick work of the paint removal process.
When it comes to removing finishes, Minwax is hands down your best bet despite the extra caution required during application and disposal.
If you're looking for a good stripper to use on a piece of furniture that is finished with both paint and varnish, Citristrip is a good bet for getting the job done in one pass and you'll save a some money by purchasing only one stripper.
For more information, please visit Paint Remover.